FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority: Leona Dotson, 559-670-1592, press@aka1908.com

KaBOOM!: Morgan St. Maxens, 202-464-6183, mstmaxens@kaboom.org

Alpha Kappa Alpha and KaBOOM! Announce Collaboration to Improve Kids’ Lives Through Play

Washington, D.C., May 19, 2016 – Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) and national non-profit KaBOOM! announce collaboration to raise awareness regarding the importance of play and to improve the quality of life for children, especially African-American children and families. This collaboration will make a difference in the lives of children through AKA’s 1908 Playgrounds Project initiative, which will restore, refresh, and renew 1,908 playgrounds that will provide safe, fun and clean places to play, and the KaBOOM! mission to bring balanced and active play into the daily lives of all children. AKA, an international service organization founded in 1908 and KaBOOM! share common interests in increasing awareness of the importance of play and playgrounds, and in creating environments that promote play for children of all ages and economic backgrounds. Both organizations have unique competencies to address these issues, and believe that by forming this collaboration will have the opportunity to capitalize upon the individual strengths of each organization to promote better childhoods for kids. “KaBOOM! is proud to partner with an organization like Alpha Kappa Alpha that values the importance of play in kids’ lives,” said Darell Hammond, Founder and CEO of KaBOOM!. “Through this partnership, we will increase and improve play opportunities across the country so that more kids can get the childhoods they deserve filled with balanced and active play.” AKA’s 1908 Playground Project initiative is a four-year project to restore, refresh and renew 1,908 playgrounds that is being implemented by AKA chapters under the sorority’s environmental ownership programming. “AKA is excited about partnering with KaBOOM! to promote a healthy environment through educating and engaging communities about the benefits that play and playgrounds can provide to kids of all ages,” said Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, International President of AKA. “This partnership with KaBOOM! will enhance implementation of impactful playground-related projects in Atlanta during AKA’s international conference in July 2016.” Through this partnership, AKA and KaBOOM! will expand awareness that play can help tackle a number of urgent issues that our society faces today, especially that of children growing up in neighborhoods without clean, safe playgrounds within walking distance. This collaboration will give more children of all economic backgrounds the opportunity for balanced and active play.

# # # About Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (AKA) is an international service organization that was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1908. It is the oldest Greek-letter organization established by African-American college-educated women. Alpha Kappa Alpha is comprised of more than 283,000 members in 993 graduate and undergraduate chapters in the United States, Liberia, the Bahamas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Germany, South Korea, Bermuda, Japan, Canada, South Africa, and in the Middle East. Led by International President Dorothy Buckhanan Wilson, Alpha Kappa Alpha is often hailed as “America’s premier Greek-letter organization for African-American women.” For more information on Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and its programs, log onto www.aka1908.com. About KaBOOM! KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to giving all kids – particularly those growing up in poverty in America – the childhood they deserve filled with balanced and active play, so they can thrive. Since 1996, KaBOOM! has collaborated with partners to build, open or improve nearly 16,300 playgrounds, engaged more than one million volunteers and served 8.1 million kids. KaBOOM! creates great places to play, inspires communities to promote and support play, and works to drive the national discussion about the importance of play in fostering healthy and productive lives. To learn why #playmatters: visit kaboom.org or join the conversation at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.

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